"This damn skirt is way too damn tight!"
Kimberly tugs harder to try and force the miniskirt past my thunder thighs, but it doesn't budge. I growl and scream into my hands as they cover my burning face-this is so embarrassing!
Kim sighs and gives up, "I'm sorry Jazzy. I really thought it would fit."
I knew that it wouldn't, but I had some sick sense of hope left in me. The black skirt was glowing like an unattainable beacon of fashion, and when Kim suggested I slip into it like I was some skinny girl who could try anything on, I felt like the skirt was calling to me, saying 'I'll make you look fabulous!" But instead of fabulous, I just look fat. Like always.
"Do you ladies need help in there," I hear from outside the dressing room. It sounds like the nice salesgirl Leah, but I can't be totally sure.
"No thanks, we're good," Kim says while I sob and stomp my feet like a toddler throwing a tantrum.
Leah leaves and I tell Kim to close her eyes while I take the skirt off. Once it's finally off (which took me a horrifying amount of time) we exit the room and leave the trendy store, waving to Leah and thanking her for her help. She looks mildly sad at seeing us go, and Kim makes sure to let her know we'll be back to hang with her later. I truthfully don't ever want to step foot into this store again, but Kim and Leah really hit it off and I know I'll be back with Kim eventually.
Fork's mall sucks, like majorly, but we come here every Saturday to waste time and goof off. Neither of us have jobs, so neither of us has any money. We only have the twenty bucks we receive for our allowance every week, and that barely buys us a book at the local book store and a venti mocha latte at Starbucks. So as we patrol the mall neither of us expects anything new to happen, but we are so wrong.
Jared, Kim's looooong-time crush and 'future husband' as she says, is having a full-blown fight with his girlfriend! She's screaming at him and he's screaming right back, fuming mad. I look to Kim, who is smiling with ecstasy at what I'm sure is how attractive Jared looks when he's angry.
"Why are you always such a bitch, Joana," Jared screams in the whore's pointy little face.
"Jare-jare, why are you so angry? I love you," she cries, grabbing his biceps and pouting up at him.
"You've betrayed me for the last time; I can't take this anymore, Jo! We are done," he shouts, turning his back to her and starting to walk off.
The slut grabs his arm and Jared (believe it or not) reacts with a loud and frightening growl. Like some kind of vicious animal. I glance at Kim and see her in such a lustful tizzy that I burst into laughter. Jared's head snaps toward me and he starts for us, hatred in his eyes.
My first instinct is to run, fast and far. And as I lift my leg and turn, preparing to flee, Kim grabs my arm and halts me in my tracks. She is hyperventilating. I can hear her intense wheezing and I am instantly in mother hen mode. Jared better not mess with Kim, or he'll have me to answer to.
"What are you laughing at, trick? You want to start something with me," he screams, hovering very close to my face.
Kim and I are not short by any means, both of us standing at six foot even, but Jared is like a huge galumphing giant! His muscles and his imposing height scare me a bit, but I stand my ground, ready for a fight.
"Well, ass-wipe, I wasn't laughing at you or anything you did. I was minding my own business talking with Kim. Not that any of this pertains to you," I say, folding my arms across my chest.
He's fuming, getting closer and closer to me, not paying any attention to the crowd that's forming or the fact that Kim is almost in tears. He lets out a growl and I jump, hating myself for my weakness. With a smug smile, he turns and walks away, shoving past a group of guys and exiting the food court.
Kim lets out a huge gust of air and grabs my shoulders, holding on for dear life. I can hear her voice trembling as she says, "He didn't even look at me!"
Her gigantic brown eyes are watery and I cringe. "Am I that easy to look over and ignore?" I assure her that she's not forgettable at all and that Jared is a mega-jerk who needs to be punched in the groin until he's impotent. Kim giggles at that, but is still not satisfied with my praise of her. We decide to go back to Leah and get her number before we leave the mall all together.
Imagine our surprise when we see Jared and Leah talking over the counter, laughing it up like old friends. What's going on here?
Kim is pissed, I can tell. She's thinking the same thing I am: Leah has a thing for Jared.
"Kim, Jasmyne! How are you two," she calls with a wave. Jared turns his stupid handsome face toward us and immediately his easy smile morphs into a hideous scowl. I can feel my face transform as well.
Kim waves her hand-the angry look still on her face-and we walk forward; Jared and I are having a staring match. Leah has her dainty russet hand on his shoulder, their skin a beautiful brown, only a bit lighter than my own. As half African American and half Quileute, my skin is a deep brown with a tinge of red. I've been told my skin tone was rich and beautiful; it always brings a smile to my face to hear the compliments.
"Jared, these are my two new friends," she says with a mega-watt smile. I can't help but grin back, and I see Kim's glare waver.
"We've met," Jared snarls, jumping up from where he is perched on the counter to saunter towards me. He thinks he's all big and bad.
Kim finally speaks up, and it brings forth a curious set of events.
"Hi, Jared," she mumbles, gazing adoringly up at him. Immediately, his head snaps to her.
I see the veins popping out on his thick, muscular neck. He looks into her eyes and I can visibly see his anger melt away. His mouth opens and closes like six times before a whimper escapes his lips. Kim smiles nervously, not understanding his strange actions. I just look at him like he's an idiot-which he is. Jared looks to Leah and she gasps before whipping out her cellphone just as Jared runs out of the store and into the forest, faster than humanly possible.
What the hell is going on here?
"Um, anyway," Leah begins. "My shift ends in like ten minutes. You guys want to come over to the rez with me and chill?"
"We have to get home and watch our siblings, maybe another time," I say. Kim nods and asks for her number.
"Oh, yeah! Here," she says, handing us her phone for us to put our numbers in. We receive a text not two minutes later and we separate, heading home.
"Jared is such a freak," I mumble, still thinking about the day's events.
Kim sighs and lets out a surprisingly loud and girly shriek. "We so had a moment back there, Jazzy! I could feel our connection sizzling behind those gorgeous brown eyes of his."
"His eyes are not gorgeous. They look like two cow pies- crap brown. I don't understand why you like him so much," I say.
"I love him, Jazzy. This isn't just a crush here," she says with finality. A grunt escapes my lips and I shake my head. I'll never understand this, but whatever.
As we walk on the sidewalk toward the bus stop, I think about anything and everything. My long-term crush on Armando, my grade in Chemistry, my future as a doctor, my weight, Kim, my parents, my baby sisters and brothers, and just life in general. I live a fairly happy life in Forks, but I've always felt like there was more to me than this- like I was destined for better. I don't know. I'm a crazy dreamer, I guess.
We hop on the bus and pay our dues, sitting down on the relatively clean seats. School is going to be brutal on Monday, I can just feel it. Armando is my new lab partner and we are working with hydrochloric acid soon. Hopefully he doesn't distract me so much that I spill it down the front of my shirt. That would be a whole heck of a lot more than just embarrassing. I adjust my but in the seat; my wide hips are spilling over the sides. It's incredibly uncomfortable, but I try to just think skinny and suck my butt and thighs in. It doesn't work.
"So," Kim begins, "how long are we watching The Brats?"
I smile at the name we gave our siblings.
"About five hours. Dad and mom will be out till about one in the morning they said."
Kim nods and wraps her arm around my shoulder, giving me a quick hug. When she became my step-sister, I knew we were meant to be the best of friends. My father had died when I was three. He was hit by a drunk driver and didn't make it. Kim's mom had left her and her dad when Kim was born, saying that she never wanted a child and only gave birth to Kim for her dad to keep. Kim was crushed when she found out (her dad had told Kim that her mother passed away during childbirth), but never had the desire to find her real mother, content to call my mom hers like I was content to call her dad mine. They met when we were in kindergarten and hit it off instantly. Kim and I were friends already, and encouraged the relationship. A year and a half later they were married, and Kim and I were sisters. It was the best moment of my life to finally have someone my age to be this close with.
"Cool," Kim mutters, removing her arm and laying her head back on the seat. She starts to sing some Michael Jackson song (the name escapes me) and taps her foot. The people on the bus with us pay her no attention, and I join in and sing with her. Before we even finish the song, the bus stops and we hop out, running through the dark streets to our house. It's scary out here at night. The wolves' howling always keeps us up throughout the night.
I throw open the front door and am bombarded by six little bodies. Kim falls down from the impact and I laugh, pointing down at her. Mikael (7), Jeremiah (5), Khimon (8), Hinton (4), Aliyah (10), and little Braydenn (3) are my siblings. They love Kim and me, and wish that they could follow us everywhere. I know that they are thrilled that we get to babysit them tonight.
"Hey, guys," I scream, pushing my way through so that Kim can get up and close the door.
Mom walks out in a deep blue sequin dress, looking beautiful. Dad is looking mighty handsome as well in his Armani suit. I'm sure that they'll have a ton of fun.
She hugs me and says so that both of us can hear, "no one can come over, you two. No wild parties."
Kim wraps her arms around both our parents and assures them that we have no friends, so no one will be coming over. I agree and they laugh, dancing out the door with huge smiles on their faces. Kim and I get to work on entertaining these six kids.
The next day, Kim and I awake to the sound of the doorbell at 11 am. Kim groans and turns over, refusing to even look toward the source of the incessant ringing. I groggily get up and shuffle over to the door, opening it and finding someone I never thought I would see standing on my porch.
Jared.
A shirtless Jared.
A shirtless and sweaty Jared.
Oh my gosh.
I close the door and run to get Kim. Kim is snoring under the covers, and three little bundles rest on top of her. I shake her and pull her hair, all she does it grunt and shriek. What am I going to do?
After taking a deep breath I give myself a pep talk. I move to run my fingers through my hair before I realize that I have my silk scarf on! And my pj's have rainbows on them! And I have sleep in my eyes! Oh my good god, I'm hideous!
"I'm so lucky that I don't have a crush on Jared or I'd just die," I say. I hear a chuckle from outside and wonder if he heard me. I turn the knob and glare at him, trying to figure out his motives.
"I came to see Kim. She lives here right," he asks.
"No, she doesn't," I say.
"Oh, I could have sworn," he begins, looking upset. "Well, do you see her later today?"
"No, I don't."
"Well, if you do could you tell her I came by to see her?"
"No, I won't."
"Why not," he screams. "I ne-want to see her!"
Was he going to say 'need'? Where did this come from? Maybe the two really did share a moment yesterday.
"No."
"Ugh!" he yells, pushing me out of the way and storming into my house.
"KIM!" he yells, scaring a few of my siblings awake and causing Braydenn to burst into tears. Jared takes no notice of the sounds and continues to scream. "KIM!"
I punch Jared in the stomach as hard as I can but only succeed in breaking my hand.
"Shit," I curse, gripping my fist and feeling the splintered bones. "What the hell are you made of?!"
Jared ignores me and continues to stomp around the house, not noticing Kim on the floor until he almost trips over her. Luckily mom and dad went to see a movie so we have the house to ourselves. I don't think mom and dad would take well to an oversized teenage boy stomping and screaming around our house.
"Kim," he whimpers, dropping to his knees. She is amazingly still asleep. He shakes her gently and leans scary close, so close that I threaten to call the police on his ass.
"Try it, skank," he hisses at me. "See if the cops will do anything to me."
I grab the phone and dial the number, ready to press the green button when I feel thin fingers wrap around my unoccupied wrist. I scream in pain and start to sob loudly. Who the heck grabbed my wrist?!
"Jazzy, are you hurt," I hear Kim ask. "I'm so sorry!"
The phone is broken into a few pieces from where I dropped it, and Jared is still on his knees by where Kim used to be. Braydenn, Hinton, and Jeremiah are all shrieking, scared to death by Jared and by my sobs.
"I need to get to a hospital," I wheeze.
Kim panics.
"I can't drive, and neither can you! How can we get there! What about the kids? Oh my god, Jazzy, don't die! Please, don't die," she cries. Jared is immediately by her side, rubbing up and down her arms. I'm pissed and in pain and Jared comforts Kim after he BROKE MY DAMN HAND!
All of us are crying now, and the house is filled with sniffs and sobs. Only Jared remains unaffected, and we barely hear his quiet contribution of, "I can drive you all."
Immediately Kim stops crying, gazing up at him with love in her eyes. Really?! I roll my eyes and tell Jared that he better drive us after all the trouble he has caused. Jared growls at me (again!) and kisses Kim's cheek before leaving the house in a sprint. Kim sits on the couch and swoons, fanning herself.
I hear kissy noises and can't help but laugh at my siblings expressions as they smile and tease Kim. Kim giggles and opens her mouth to say something to me, but I raise my hand up to stop her before she starts. I can't hear about how great Jared is right now.
Not even three minutes later we hear the rumble of a car, and all of us trail out to see a hideous van sitting in front of the house. It's ugly and old and just plain gross. But it's a form of transportation so we all climb in.
Kim tells Jared where to go from the front seat, and as we get closer to Doctor Cullen's office, Jared gets angrier and angrier.
"This is your doctor's office," he says when we arrive, hatred in his tone.
"Yeah, why," I ask. My intense glare doesn't hold a candle to his.
"The father Cullen works here. Tell me his isn't your doctor," Jared says, gazing toward Kim.
"Carlisle?" she asks, surprise in her voice, "yeah, he's been our doctor forever."
"I can't let you go in there Kim."
"What?"
"Stay out here with me. And switch doctors."
"What?! No! Are you insane?"
Kim and Jared get into an epic stare battle, and I tell Khimon to open the door for me. He does, and neither of them notices as I slip out and walk toward the front door. I speak to the nurse and she leads me to Carlisle, with an infectious grin. He is so handsome.
"Hi, Dr. Cullen," I say shyly, always awkward around him.
"I've told you sweetheart, call me Carlisle," he says, flashing his sharp pearly whites. He's such a dreamboat.
"I think I broke my hand."
"I think you did, too."
I get an x-ray and return to the room to find a little girl with gorgeous red-brown hair and big chocolate eyes sitting on the patient table that I had just vacated. She grins at me and I am in awe of her beauty. Where did she come from?
"Hey," I say, walking toward her.
"Hello."
Her little voice is like wind chimes in the breeze. Cool.
"So, what are you doing here, kid," I ask, hopping next to her on the table, careful not to jostle my arm too much.
"I'm visiting my grandpa Carlisle," she says.
I freak out and grab her face with my one working hand, turning her left and right. I knew this kid was too adorable to be normal- she's a Cullen!
"That explains so much," I mumble. She giggles when I make her lips pucker by squeezing her chubby cheeks, and asks me something. I let go of her face and tell her to repeat her question.
"What happened to your hand?"
"Oh, I punched some guy."
"Was he a wolf?"
"What?"
"A wolf," she says, as if she had just asked me a logical question. "My mother punched a wolf, my Jacob, before I was born. She broke her hand. Is that what happened to you?"
"Um, no. He was a man, I think," I say, confusion evident in my tone.
"Oh, that's strange."
"Yeah."
Carlisle comes in later and tells me that I'll need a cast and to have my mom come in with me next time. He couldn't give me a cast without a parent, he says. I frown and tell him thank you and that I'll come in this afternoon. As I exit, the little girl walks behind me and I look over my shoulder.
"Yes," I ask, mildly curious.
She reaches up to my face and I smile, thinking how cute this girl is. But when a vision of beautiful men and women in a mansion playing with this girl-Renesme, I hear from one of the women in the movie in my head-plays throughout my head, I am frozen. The vision switches to two young men as fit as Jared running around in the backyard before transforming into wolves and howling up at the sky with their tongues lolling out. The wolves chase each other and Renesme appears out of nowhere, jumping on the brown wolf's back, giggling and shrieking. All throughout the 'movie' I hear a shrill scream, and only at the end do I realize that its mine. I gaze at the kid, still screaming, and feel as if I might faint. Carlisle comes out of his office and glides toward me, followed by two people from Renesme's vision. Her mom and dad. Her dad looks at me and then at his daughter before stepping toward me. I try to run but trip on my shoe laces and almost fall onto my injured wrist before I am held around the waist by this man that I don't even know. Too many things are happening way too fast, and I feel as if I may throw up. Only Jared's, Kim's, and my sibling's loud voices as they enter distract me long enough to come to my senses and jump out of his arms. I run to Kim and hug her as best I can. Jared growls at the Cullen's, and I realize something immediately. He's a wolf, too.
"Jasmyne," the man starts, but I bolt. I run out of the hospital, down the street, and past the little shops down the road. I have no hope of making it home on foot, but I don't care. I need mom and dad, and I know exactly where they are.
Mom and dad were nowhere near as surprised as I thought they would be when I told them about the Cullen's and Jared. Mom looked nervously at dad and dad looked nervously at mom, neither of them looked my way. I had a feeling they knew all of this.
"Did you know," I ask, suspicion laced like venom in my voice.
They look down and I know that means yes. They knew about the crazy freaks in this town and still let us stay here. This isn't safe, why would they let us live near these monsters?!
"Your father has something to show you," mom says. Dad drives us out through the forest and deep into the woods where no one else would be. He steps out and tells us to stay in the car as he begins to remove his tie and suit. He steps out of his pants and I freak, shutting my eyes tight and feeling like I'm going to be sick. Mom laughs at me and after a few seconds, removes my hand from my face. I'm staring into the green-brown eyes of a huge gray wolf.
Dad…
Wow…
Soooooooo…
"Um, so you're a wolf, too," I say I'm surprised at how chill I am. I thought I would pass out.
"Mom, are you a wolf?"
She laughs, "No sweetie, I'm not. There's only been one case of a girl being a wolf."
Dad howls once and mom covers my eyes again. After two or three minutes, her hand is removed, and I see my dad fully clothed again, with a look of apprehension on his face. I get out of the car and wrap him in a big hug. He hugs back and twinges my wrist, causing me to let out a gasp of pain. I had forgotten all about my wrist. I don't want to go back to that hospital.
"What's wrong," mom and dad ask.
"I broke my wrist," I say. "But I can't go back to that hospital! The Cullen's! They're freaks, you guys!"
"Sweetheart, Carlisle has been your doctor since you were four years old. He didn't hurt you then, he won't hurt you know. Just because they're different doesn't mean they're bad," Dad says, rubbing my shoulder. "Now let's go and get you checked out."
We drive back to the hospital, and Kim, Jared, and the kids are nowhere to be found. Renesme's father is standing out front, holding her tightly to his chest. As we near the front entrance he speaks, "we need to talk."